Hesby s



(No Model.) w

H. S. MERTZ.

THILL COUPLING. No. 249,381. Patented Nov. 8,1881.

I "UNITED, "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY s. MERTZ, or ALL NroWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO REVERE A. GERNERT, OF SAME PLACE.

'THILL-COUPLING.

t SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 249,381, dated November 8, 1881. h Application filed September 8, [881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: rust, and the facility with which its strength Be it known that I, HENRY S. MERTZ, acitimay be regulated by simply increasing or dizen of the United States, residing in Allenminishing the size of the coupling-strips D. 5 town, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, have in- ThestripsDare made of such size and strength 5 vented certain Improvements in Thill-Ooupas to resist'any strains to which they are likely lings for Vehicles, of which the following is a to be subjected; but in order to provide an adspecification. ditional safeguard against accident I prefer to The object of my invention is to so construct combine with each strip a chain, F, preferably 50 a shaft or pole coupling for vehicles that it confined between the layers of which the strip will be perfectly noiseless and secure, and will is composed, the legs of the clip a and the not become loosened by wear, and this object stem of the boltd passing through the links I attain in the manner which I will now pro- ,of the chain, as shown in Fig.2, so that in the ceed to describe, reference being had to the event of the breaking of the leather. or other 5 accompanying drawings, in which material of which the strip is composedthe I 1 Figure l is a perspective view of part of the chain will prevent the detaching of the shafts axle and shafts of a vehicle provided with my from the axle. improved coupling Fig. 2, a longitudinalsec- I have'described my invention in connection tion of one of the couplings on a larger scale with the shafts of a vehicle; but it will be evithan Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a transverse section dent that it may be applied to pole-couplings 20 on the line 1 2, Fig. 2. as well.

,A represents part of the axle of the vehicle, I claim as my invention and B the shafts of the same, each shalt being 1. The combination of the axle and the pole connected to the axle by a coupling-strip, D, or shafts of a vehicle with flexible couplingwhich is secured to the axle at the rear end by strips D, each composed of leather or equiva- 25 'means of the usual clip, a, the front end of the lent fibrous or textile material, as set forth.

strip being secured to the shaft B by means of 2. The combination of the axle and the pole a plate, I), and bolt d. Each coupling-strip conor shafts of the vehicle with the flexible coupsists of leather, india-rnbber, heavy cloth, or ling-strips D, of leather or equivalent fibrous other equivalent fibrous or textile material or textile material, as described, the clips a,

0 possessing the necessary strength and flexithe plates 12, and the bolts d, as set forth.

hility; and each strip may be composed of any 3. The combination of the axle and the pole desired number of layers properly secured toor shafts, the flexible couplingstrips D, of gether, the coupling-strips shown in the drawleather or equivalent fibrous or textile mateings each comprising two layers secured torial, as described, and the safety-chain F, as

3 5 gether near the edges by sewing. A couplingset forth. I

' strip thus constructed, while permitting free In testimonywhereof Ihave signed my name movement of the shafts, is perfectly noiseless to this specification in the presence'of two subwhen in use, and does not become loosened by scribing witnesses.

wear, thus overcoming themain objections to HENRY S. MERTZ.

. 0 the usual metallic thill-couplings, further ad- Witnesses:

vantages of my improved coupling being-its WALTER L. JONES,

cheapness, its freedom from deterioration by O. L. KNAUSS. 

